Many people have reached out to me to know how I transitioned into Tech from Food Science and Technology, the course I studied, so I have decided to document my story. I am excited about this, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This month, I will my marking two years in my tech journey. It started as nothing serious at first. I was at home during the post-COVID lockdown in Nigeria, and even though I had been exploring several skills during the COVID pandemic, I dropped them off along the line. When I picked up Tech, I wasn't looking to go into it long-term. I was just curious and wanted to satisfy my curiosity, but my curiosity met with opportunity.
Backstory: I have always been intrigued by how a computer works, and I remember asking to get a gifted one as far back as my primary school days. When I was in my third year at university, my interest deepened, and I was keen on learning how the websites and mobile applications we use, for instance, Whatsapp, work. I was privileged to have a friend who launched Grazac, an organization that equips people with Tech skills but unfortunately, I didn't have a laptop. As a result of this and other responsibilities I had at that time, I missed that opportunity.
THE GIST
Back to the original gist, my Tech journey started for real in August 2020 when a friend put out an e-flier on his WhatsApp status about a software development training program in dufuna. I applied but unfortunately wasn't selected. The following month, I also saw another e-flier about another program and decided to apply for it even though I wasn't anticipating getting in.
This other opportunity was the ladies at work training by Pearls Africa. I was surprised when I got the mail that I got in, and was invited to the slack channel. It was a virtual training. We started introduction on slack, and I noticed a majority of the people that got in had knowledge of HTML and CSS, while I was clueless.
I did not let this faze me. Instead, I started searching out these new terms and educating myself because I didn't want to be behind. I asked a friend who studied Computer Science to educate me on the basics. He sent me a book and told me I could start with Acode editor on my phone since I was not with my laptop then. I studied this book and practiced on my phone, and by the time the training started in October, I had learned HTML and a little CSS.
In October, the training officially started. During the onboarding, we were to select a track. The tracks included beginner web development, intermediate web development, and mobile development. I opted for the intermediate web development track with just two weeks of practice on my phone. Even though we were told we needed to know a bit of javascript as we would be learning React, I felt I could learn javascript along the line.
As you can imagine, it was crazy for me. React was the first code I wrote on my system, and although the first task we were given was the simplest, it was a lot of work for me. I didn't even know how to center a div or what responsiveness was. The training exposed how much I did not know, and I started learning alongside other free resources like W3Schools and FreeCodeCamp on HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and Javascript.
By the end of the training in December, I felt pretty good with my HTML and CSS. I got a grasp of what React was even though my Javascript knowledge wasn't strong enough, and I had not even known DOM manipulation existed. In late 2020, I applied for the Enyata Buildup competition, and I had to learn how to use git and GitHub since it was a kind of criteria to be eligible. Though I didn't win, I got to know what these tools were.
In January 2021, Dufuna told me there was a supplementary admission, and that was how I got in. It was a six months flexible training program, and I learned about the whole software development lifecycle, DOM manipulation, DSA, and other frontend concepts and knowledge. I became interested in getting an internship and applied for the DevPlacement Internship.
I did an assessment that I found challenging (my first time consuming an API). I was so excited when I got the news that I had my internship with NeuBite from February to April 2021. Lest I forget, I also participated in SheCodeAfrica (SCA) leveled member initiative in which we got tasks to do in our different tracks. These tasks helped my web responsive design and helped me in building my first portfolio site.
In June 2021, I worked alongside my Dufuna teammates in working on our final project for graduation. By July, I started Job hunting, and I got a six months contract project with Dufuna Talent Marketplace after some applications. It was an exciting project, and I learned a lot from the project and my team members. I learned how to write better codes and the software development principles such as DRY and YAGNI, especially from code reviews.
From August -December 2021, I was engaged in Enyata Bootcamp and Academy program, and I learned a lot from the seasoned mentors and my amazing colleagues. I got my current role in February 2022, which has taught me that learning never ends as I had to learn the new tools required for this role.
CONCLUSION
It has been an incredible two years ride, and I am grateful for the progress I have made and the knowledge gained. I didn't know HTML, CSS, or what frontend and backend meant two years ago. Today, I have built and maintained software for businesses, and I look forward to what the future holds. I wouldn't have gotten so far without the support of my family, friends, and several communities that have been helpful in my growth; for these, I am grateful to God.
Thanks for reading along! I hope to post more dev content here for your delight and education. See you soon!
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